Paris police headquarters cancels concerts by controversial rapper Freeze Corleone on Friday and Saturday

The Paris Police headquarters canceled the performances of rapper Freeze Corleone, real name Issa Lorenzo Diakhate, who was scheduled to perform on November 24 and 25 in the capital. In its decree of November 21, it considers that“there are serious risks that disturbances to public order may occur and that anti-Semitic remarks, or more generally knowingly and explicitly stirring up hatred, whether directed towards Jews, police officers, or society more generally, will be held on occasion (death) representations”.

Noting that Freeze Corleone is “a particularly controversial artist”the prefecture also emphasizes that “the texts of his musical productions contain numerous conspiratorial and anti-Semitic references” And “that several of his comments were the subject of reports and legal investigations”. The rapper was scheduled to perform on November 24 as part of the Collectif 667 concert and on November 25 at his own concert, both events taking place at the Zénith in Paris.

A “tense” geopolitical context

The prefecture also recalls that “the scheduled concerts take place in a particularly tense geopolitical context following the large-scale terrorist attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023” and “the evolution of the situation, in particular the counter-offensive on the Gaza Strip and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation are likely to amplify demands and protests, to radicalize the pro-Palestinian movement on the public highway and to import tensions arising from the conflict on national soil.

Rising figure of French rap, Freeze Corleone was released in September 2020 by his label, Universal Music, which denounced “unacceptable racist remarks”, reported AFP. On YouTube, his clips have several million views.